Pinwawe is de code name for an NSA cowwection and retrievaw system for so-cawwed "Digitaw Network Intewwigence", incwuding internet e-maiw.[1][2] It is searchabwe by monitored NSA anawysts.

The existence of de system was first reveawed by an NSA anawyst who was trained in its use during 2005.[2] However, according to Homewand Security Today, Pinwawe has in it much more dan emaiw, it awso contains oder forms of Internet data, and oder forms of digitaw communications as weww. Its software has buiwt-in protections against cowwecting from any of de Five Eyes members. Unwike its successor XKeyscore, targets for PINWALE have to be approved beforehand by de FISC.[1]

According to information obtained by The Guardian from Edward Snowden, Pinwawe is part of a "muwti-tiered system" to address de issue of NSA "cowwecting so much internet data dat it can be stored onwy for short periods of time." The system awwows anawysts to store "interesting" content in databases such as Pinwawe, which is capabwe of storing materiaw for up to five years.[3]

Pinwawe consists of at weast two known partitions referred to as "Sweet" and "Sour".[4]

According to de documents weaked by Snowden, Pinwawe normawwy processed about 60 GB of data per day widout troubwe. Pinwawe was overwhewmed however when Yahoo started mass maiwbox transfers between its datacenters, which were captured by de NSA's MUSCULAR program dat taps de private cwouds of Googwe and Yahoo. Monitored emaiw accounts being hacked by spammers awso present a chawwenge to Pinwawe, because dey can cause de database of suspect emaiw addresses to grow exponentiawwy wif information of no intewwigence vawue.[5]